Experimental Design for Biomaterials Education: 3D Bioprinting

Biomaterials as a field has become increasingly important for the development of medical applications and restoration of function for people post-injury and disease¹, raising the need to extend knowledge of biomaterials to students. To educate students about the importance and properties of biomaterials, educators designed experimental models to establish a foundation of knowledge about 3D bioprinting (3DBP). 3DBP is an additive manufacturing technology that utilizes biomaterials to synthesize living, functional tissues for regenerative medicine². 3DBP is widely utilized because of its ability to create customized and precise objects efficiently and omnidirectionally. This was the motivation to develop an accessible, inquiry-based learning (IBL), hands-on educational module to teach the fundamentals of 3DBP. The focus of the educational module created was to understand how different factors affect the fidelity of a 3DBP print.

In the IBL experiment, the main variable explored by students was altering the viscosity of the support bath, which impacts print fidelity of a bioink. Two types of commonly used support bath polymers were utilized in this module: gelatin hydrogels and Carbopol® 691 polymer jammed microparticles. Both polymers are safe and accessible. The module was designed to highlight the difference in the type and degree of secondary entanglements gelatin and Carbopol® 691 polymer have regarding their effect on support bath viscosity and printing. Moreover, a secondary variable students explored was altering the concentration of the bioink (gelatin containing Coomassie blue for visualization). In doing so, students can learn how bioink composition can affect printing fidelity.

Learning gains for the module will be assessed using a pre-/post-test with questions pertaining to the factors affecting viscosity in 3DBP printing fidelity. Additionally, a validated pre-/post-survey based on those from the Scientific Literacy and Student Value in Inquiry-guided Lab Survey (SLIGS) was given³. The 3DBP IBL educational module was designed for undergraduate students to have a hands-on way to explore how factors affect print fidelity.

References

[1] Huebsch, N.; Mooney, D. J. Inspiration and application in the evolution of biomaterials. Nature 2009, 462, 426–432 DOI: 10.1038/nature08601.

[2] Vanaei, S.; Parizi, M. S.; Vanaei, S.; Salemizadehparizi, F.; Vanaei, H. R. An overview on materials and techniques in 3D bioprinting toward biomedical application. Engineered Regeneration 2021, 2, 1–18 DOI: 10.1016/j.engreg.2020.12.001.

[3] Ankeny C, Stabenfeldt S. Cost-effective, Inquiry-guided Introductory Biomaterials Laboratory for Undergraduates. 2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, ASEE Conferences; 2015, p. 26.412.1-26.412.16. doi:10.18260/p.23751.